Published 5:30 am, Friday, March 31, 2006

Lately, one of the hottest items on the menu is the Jim Larranaga burger, named after George Mason's basketball coach, who these days may be the most popular person in this northern Virginia suburb.

For about $4, customers get a half-pound beef patty, with Swiss cheese, banana peppers and honey mustard sauce.

"The past two weeks probably one out of every five burgers ordered was the Larranaga burger," manager Jesse Nadell said. "It's been one of the most popular items the past few weeks."

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The burger sales might have something to do with the neighbors across Braddock Road.

This time of year, George Mason is usually preparing for Greek Week, research symposiums and a reception to welcome incoming students. There has been nothing normal about the past few weeks, though, as the Patriots of the Colonial Athletic Association have gone from never winning a game in the NCAA Tournament to within two victories of a national championship.

The Patriots have enjoyed March Madness so much they'll extend their fairy-tale run into April with Saturday's national semifinal against Florida at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

"Thank you for calling George Mason University, home of a Final Four basketball team" the school operator answers.

The latest fashion statement on campus: green-and-gold Final Four T-shirts, which some students waited four hours in line to purchase. The longest running TV program: the continuous loop of the Patriots' 86-84 overtime victory over top-seeded Connecticut being shown on a big screen in the George W. Johnson Center.

For the first time in school history, the 30,000 students who attend this tree-lined campus 20 minutes from Washington, D.C., have gone hoops crazy. Signs proclaiming "Mason Madness" are plastered along wall space in the student center and the sight of a basketball player stirs a mob scene.

"People say they feel like they go to a real university now," star guard Lamar Butler said.

George Mason, the first No. 11 seed in two decades to reach the Final Four, beat Michigan State, a Final Four team last year, and North Carolina, the defending national champion. Last week, playing less than a half-hour from campus, George Mason beat Wichita State and Connecticut to win the Washington Regional.

"How's your bracket now," was the message on the back of a shirt worn by a student rushing to class.

"It's been unreal," said Jeff Kliss, a senior administration justice major who was among more than 100 people outside the main campus bookstore Tuesday waiting to buy commemorative T-shirts. "I never thought I would be saying George Mason is competing for a national championship. Duke makes sense, but not George Mason."

Outside the Johnson Center, the 10-foot bronze statue of George Mason, a key figure in the writing of the Bill of Rights and the school's namesake, has been decorated with balloons and a green shirt with the words, "Go Kryptonite Kidz." The nickname is in reference to Larranaga's pregame speech before the second round. He said North Carolina was Superman and George Mason was going to be kryptonite. At the bottom of the statue, another sign reads: "The slipper fits. Go Mason."

Television trucks have been parked on campus all week and ABC's Good Morning America will air from here today.

"Nobody will ever say, 'Where is George Mason?' after this," school president Alan G. Merten said.

In the past few weeks, the university has seen a spike in e-mail and phone inquires from prospective students, according to Andrew Flagel, the dean of admissions. Twice-daily campus tours have increased from five students to 25.

In the past, students and school officials said spirit lagged, largely because only 13 percent — or 4,000 students — of the student body lives on campus. The Patriots averaged only 4,500 fans this season for home games at the Patriot Center. The same area has been transformed over the last three weeks, as students set up tents and sleeping bags outside, waiting to purchase tickets.

"It seems like everybody in the country is hopping on the George Mason bandwagon," said Bram Smith, a junior in the school's pep band. "It's really cool everybody is rooting for the underdog. I think we've earned quite a bit of respect from everybody."

On Wednesday, several thousand fans crammed the atrium of the Johnson Center, along balconies and stairwells for a pep rally before the team departed for Indianapolis. A few hours later, about 200 fans showed up outside the loading dock at the Patriot Center to watch the team's charter bus depart for the airport.

"Let's go Mason!" the crowd screamed.

"Final Four! Final Four!" began another chant.

Players exchanged high-fives with students, and Hasan Kazmi, a sophomore pharmacy major, managed to get Butler to sign his issue of Sports Illustrated.

"I have a number in mind, I think it should probably be about four to six, somewhere in there," Boeheim said Thursday. "The problem really is that it shouldn't come down to logistics."

The field expanded from 48 to 64 in 1985, then added a 65th team to the field in 2001 when the NCAA increased the number of automatic bids from 30 to 31.

Boeheim believes the rapid increase in Division I schools, to more than 300, and increased parity, as demonstrated by George Mason reaching the Final Four, indicates it's time to include more teams.

It's a proposal Boeheim said he has long supported, but he has not been able to convince those on the NCAA's selection committee in the past.

NCAA president Myles Brand said he has not seen much support to implement Boeheim's wish.

"There was some discussion of it in the last couple of years, and there hasn't been much enthusiasm for it at this point," Brand said. "I think that discussion needs to continue, but I don't see any movement in that direction."

Close call for LSU

LSU got a scare at its first practice in Indianapolis.

Forward Magnum Rolle hurt his knee during a workout at the Indiana Pacers' practice facility, but he should be able to play in Saturday's national semifinal against UCLA.

"We were in a scrimmage situation, running a play, and he jumped up and came down and it just hyperextended on him," coach John Brady said after the closed practice. "He went down. It was one those high-anxiety moments for the coach, but it all worked out."

It was the last full-speed practice for the Tigers, who are planning walkthroughs the rest of the way.

"I guess it was not too smart for the ol' coach to have contact at this time of the year," Brady said. "But we needed to do something."

Rolle, a 6-10 freshman, is a backup for the Tigers. He averages 2.2 points in just under nine minutes per game.

Bruin breaks nose

UCLA backup center Lorenzo Mata broke his nose Wednesday during the Bruins' first practice after arriving for the Final Four, and will wear a mask against LSU.

Mata was seen by an ear, nose and throat specialist Thursday, although no X-rays were taken, coach Ben Howland said.

Mata also broke his nose at Arizona State on Jan. 7.

SEC drought ends

No Southeastern Conference team made the Final Four from 2001-05, but this year Florida and LSU give the SEC two of the Final Four for the first time since Arkansas and Florida advanced in 1994.

A Florida-LSU final Monday would mark the first championship game to match conference rivals since the 1988 contest between the Big Eight's Kansas and Oklahoma.

Bruins stick together

UCLA players attended Thursday night's game between the Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers to see former Bruins star